No one in the NFL in 2025 has played for the same team longer than Cameron Heyward has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s been a key cog in the Steelers’ vaunted defense since he was drafted in the first round in 2011.
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And Heyward does a lot. He’s a great leader for the team, but his skills on the field are also surprisingly varied for a 6’5″, 295-pound defensive tackle. He’s a great run-stuffer, regularly putting up double-digit TFL numbers, and he’s obviously a strong pass-rusher. His 63.5 sacks since his first Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro season in 2017 rank 11th overall, but third among interior linemen.
Heyward is also excellent at getting his massive mitts up at the line to bat down passes. Among defensive linemen and edge rushers, Heyward is third in batted passes since 2017, behind only Carlos Dunlap and teammate T.J. Watt. His career total of 58 also ranks 15th all-time. But somehow, despite all the times he got his hands on the ball, Heyward has only intercepted a pass twice. His second one, in 2021, remains his favorite play of his career.
“You could say sacking [Tom] Brady was probably one of the coolest ones. But there’s one that warms my heart a little more than that. It was when I picked off Justin Fields, and then he became a teammate,” Heyward said on his podcast.
“I think, just having that and being able to throw a little bit of salt on the wounds, just plays a little bit better.”
Heyward will get another chance to pick off his old teammate and buddy in Week 1 this year when the Steelers take on Fields and his new Jets teammates. Heyward will hope things go like they did back in 2021.
His favorite play came during Justin Fields’ rookie season in a Week 9 matchup between the Steelers and Fields’ Chicago Bears. With Pittsburgh up 7-0 late in the first quarter, Fields tried to get a quick completion out to Darnell Mooney over the middle.
Unfortunately for him, Heyward was being double-teamed, which made the big man decide to stop rushing and instead jump up to affect the pass. He did a lot more than affect it. He outright stole it.
Cam Heyward picks off Justin Fields 😳
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/FDVeEPGHXS
— ESPN (@espn) November 9, 2021
Pat Freiermuth then caught a four-yard touchdown from Big Ben to make it 14-0 on the ensuing drive. By the start of the fourth quarter, the score read 20-6. But the Bears weren’t done. Mooney ran one in from 15 yards out. Then Chicago had a takeaway of their own, returning it for a touchdown to make it 23-20.
Chicago took the lead 27-26 with under two minutes remaining. But old reliable Chris Boswell nailed his third field goal of the game with under 30 seconds left to secure the win for Pittsburgh.
It was a classic defensive game for Pittsburgh that was highlighted by Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. Heyward with the interception, Watt with 3.0 sacks and 3.0 TFLs.
That duo, who were both named First-Team All-Pros that year in 2021, has continued to strike fear in the hearts of opponents ever since. But with Heyward now 35 and Watt currently engaged in a contract dispute, could we be seeing one of their last great seasons together in 2025?
